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Original poster

Food shopping as a daily practice?

32 replies

Made4Sunshine · 29/06/2023 04:35

Does anyone do this ?
I'm a somewhat structured meal planner and bulk cook but fancy doing a basics shop periodically and trying to buy fresh each day.
Logistically it would have to be on the way home from work
I'm also trying to get early teen kids involved in cooking over school holidays In the view they could cook a meal each a week.
Madness ?

OP posts:
Ragwort · 29/06/2023 05:02

I think it depends on so many factors ... do you work full time? How much shopping will you need to pick up? How exhausted do you get? Are you on a strict budget?

I shop most days but ... I work part time, only me & (retired) DH at home ... he often gets shopping as well often unwanted bits, we don't need to stick to a strict budget and ... unusually I genuinely enjoy shopping for food. We also eat quite simply.

However if I worked full time and was planning on 'cooking from scratch' for a family each night I would find it challenging and exhausting.

SusannaOh · 29/06/2023 05:37

I struggle horribly with meal planning. I hate cooking with a passion. I'm often out late either taxi-ing DD or working.
I've tried meal prepping, but often no one wants that meal, that night (and I'm as guilty as anyone for this). Plus, I don't want to spend my bit of spare time in the day cooking. Often DD will say can we just nip to Tesco and get a quick meal on the way home. I was spending money we didn't have and throwing a lot of food away.
So, my weekly budget is £120 (no Aldi or Lidl here). I split it into £20 a day for four days and then £40 on Friday for the weekend. We shopped each evening, I drive past the supermarket on the way home anyway.

The pluses were...Our fruit and veg were fresher, our Tesco is shocking for short life produce. I could pick up reduced meals for that day. We generally spent less and threw very little away. Everyone could have what they wanted. Some nights I'd just want a bag of salad, other nights a whole pizza. We never ran out of eggs/bread/milk for the morning. If the other kids wanted to drop by for dinner, I could pick something up there and then.

The minuses were we were buying too many ready meals - although tbf we ate a lot before this. I was also too often tempted by a bottle of wine. DH was sick of ready made food or the same quick to cook things (we fall out about cooking). And I just got sick of being in the shop all the time.
I think it could work with some tweaking.

Original poster
Made4Sunshine · 29/06/2023 05:42

And I guess access to shops. I'm abroad where ready meals don't exist but you can get quite cheap takeaway.
We've a tesco metro type shop literally a minute away but fresh stock varies.
I just fancy giving it a go.
On my commute ( by car) I pass several fruit and vege places as well as a great butchery who also deliver

OP posts:
Original poster
Made4Sunshine · 29/06/2023 05:46

Daily budget is a brilliant idea SusannaOh

OP posts:
Irunoncoffeemascaraandhighheels · 29/06/2023 05:53

I was thinking about this for a while. I'm not able to get to the shops daily but if I could I would. No more food waste for one thing. More choices, not having to eat whatever is going to go off if we don't. More exercise, I'd walk or cycle to the shop which would work out well if I'm not buying much. I'd love to do it.

Original poster
Made4Sunshine · 29/06/2023 05:55

I absolutely hate doing a big shop. TBH buying and cooking on the day is probably no less work than meal planning and making sure something is defrosted.

OP posts:
Goldencup · 29/06/2023 06:05

I shopped like this with very small children in London with no car it was sweet taking the smalls out every morning to the green grocer, butcher etc. However 2 hulking teens and a full time job now means this type of life-style is but a pipe dream.

Ragwort · 29/06/2023 06:13

I think it's definitely a better way to avoid food waste ... I know everyone swears by meal planning as a cost saving method but I've never found that. And I never know what I want to eat in six days times ... quite often I don't feel like a 'full meal' so much easier to just buy a couple of ingredients you actually want rather than having to feel obliged to eat up what you bought a few days ago.
But, as others say .. much easier for one or two rather than catering for a family.

Swearwolf · 29/06/2023 06:26

I do a mixture - I do one big shop a fortnight and get all the heavy stuff, all the cans and pasta etc, and as many meals as I can think of. Then I will top up every few days with the bits I need, sometimes things I forgot to order and sometimes meals if I didn't buy enough. It works out pretty well.

LeonoraFlorence · 29/06/2023 06:32

We do a big online shop weekly but I seem to find myself at the shops each day. Mainly for fresh fruit as DDs eat lots of it and I don’t find much of it keeps well.

BHRK · 29/06/2023 06:41

If I did this we’d end up eating too many ready meals. A meal plan means I plan and then buy everything for home cooked food. Ocado M&S fruit and veg lasts brilliantly though obviously reflected in the price

redspottedmug · 29/06/2023 06:51

I prefer to do a small basics shop maybe every 2 weeks to top up on rice pasta tins cheese yoghurt butter potatoes onions, and add things like washing powder and loo roll when running low.

Then a few times a week we'll pick up fresh stuff as needed/wanted. DH loves a yellow sticker and knows when to go for cuts of meat etc which either get eaten or put in the freezer.

The only time we've done a 'big weekly shop' was during lockdown when a weekly click n collect order was a necessity to feed 5 of us at home all day every day.

Probationnotontarget · 29/06/2023 07:15

I’m moving on to this way of thinking!

I do one big shop - like others tins, flour, loo roll, eggs and food that keeps well like cheese, washing powder and cleaning products.

I also include 4 meals everyone will eat, gammon, salad, Spag bol, and fresh chicken.

I then have what we need for the weekend and a few days - I freeze one or two meals so the following week is easy.

The rest of the week I do a pick up shop.

megletthesecond · 29/06/2023 07:21

I do this. Lack of storage (under counter fridge) and 2 teens. We live in town and I'm walking distance from 4 different supermarkets. Although I'm finally getting an American fridge freezer next week which will buy me some time and space.
I do a big click and collect once or twice a month in the car.

gogomoto · 29/06/2023 07:28

I shop daily , partly because I'm not always sure how many are in for dinner until the day, partly because it's 3 minutes away

TheChosenTwo · 29/06/2023 07:30

We don’t meal plan. I do a weekly online order of basics (milk, cheese, tins, cleaning stuff, packed lunch stuff etc) and then dh does a butchers shop. And daily we will decide what we want to eat and just go out and get the other stuff. I don’t know what I’m going to want to eat tonight for dinner let alone next week!

gogomoto · 29/06/2023 07:32

I should add we tend to do a larger shop on a Saturday together for basics and things that are bought weekly, I'll buy food for the weekend then plus standby items like jarred pesto

WinchSparkle80 · 29/06/2023 07:38

I have a online delivery plan and have a delivery every 3-4 days.. seems to be working as food is mostly always fresh, I only need to think of 2-3 meals at a time and throw less away

Hugasauras · 29/06/2023 07:50

WinchSparkle80 · 29/06/2023 07:38

I have a online delivery plan and have a delivery every 3-4 days.. seems to be working as food is mostly always fresh, I only need to think of 2-3 meals at a time and throw less away

Yes this is what we do, although more like every 4-5 usually. Means everything stays fresh and we don't need to meal plan too far in advance.

I use the Recipe Keeper app which auto makes a meal plan for us based on the recipes I have in there, around 30. We don't always stick to the exact day and because we are shopping frequently we have some latitude with dates.

I find going into the shop every day costs us a fortune so I'd have to be really disciplined I think.

Ollybob · 29/06/2023 08:05

I do a shop a few times a week, dd and I are very much - decide on the day what we'd like to eat. Sometimes she's out, sometimes her bf comes over occasionally I'll eat at my mum's.
It helps I work 5 days a week and only a minute or 2 detour to pop to any of the supermarkets on the way home, think we have every national supermarket here which is handy.
Previously living without a car and the only suitable shops were a somerfield with a walk and a buggy or a big Tesco's half hour bus ride away and walk it's a godsend!

Neverinamonthofsundays · 29/06/2023 08:36

I do a big shop weekly but pop to the shop any amount of times during the week too. It is like my hobby. Even if we do not need anything I will find something we need. In saying that we do need dishwasher tablets and dog food today but I can guarantee you I will still find other things to buy while out.

wwyd2021medicine · 29/06/2023 09:14

I think i depends on where you live/work.
Journey home from work (18 mins on clear run) I pass lidl, Aldi, tesco and Asda.
Jouney home from gym (25 mins clear run) lidl is next to gym and 100yds to aldi, Tesco extra, another lidl.
Waitrose is a 7 minute walk from home, m and s 15 min walk.

So I shop for fresh stuff every other day. DH does heavy/store cupboard stuff at supermarket every fortnight or so.

I prefer it that way. In covid, I tried shopping weekly but found it hard (4 at home) and quite quickly reverted the my usual pattern

LinwoodBoomer · 29/06/2023 12:48

I started shopping daily when we were very skint so I could take advantage of discount shops reduced items and it's become a habit even though it's no longer a necessity.
I get a store cupboard delivery every so often and buy some things in bulk from Costco too.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 29/06/2023 14:15

I do this as I live alone with a tiny freezer and no appetite!
I don't work due to disability and live 2 minutes walk away from a big Sainsbury's
I find I waste and spend less that way plus I get a few steps in!

HeckinBamboozled · 29/06/2023 14:18

I used to do this pre pandemic. It's great to pick out what looks best on the day/what every bargains are to be had. BUT it's definitely can be more expensive and time heavy than meal planning IMO.